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The short answer
As at October 2026, the Home Office lists the Adult Dependent Relative fee from outside the UK at £3,635 per applicant, with a decision usually within 12 weeks. The parent must need long-term personal care that is unavailable or unaffordable in Nigeria, and the UK sponsor must support them without public funds.
For a Nigerian parent who can no longer manage alone, the Adult Dependent Relative (ADR) route is the UK visa that allows them to come and live permanently with a son or daughter here. It is also one of the most expensive and demanding visas in the system. The fee is high, the sponsor must support the parent without public funds, and the care test asks you to prove that the care your parent needs cannot be obtained or afforded in Nigeria. This guide sets out the costs as published in October 2026 and what the test involves, so you can decide whether to apply.
The fee as at October 2026
The Home Office fees table effective from 8 October 2026 lists the outside-UK fee for "Route to Settlement - other dependant relative" at £3,635 per applicant, unchanged from the previous fee. Fees change, so check the current table on GOV.UK on the day you apply.
| Item | Published fee |
|---|---|
| ADR application from outside the UK, per person | £3,635 |
| Priority service (settlement), where offered | £500 |
| Super priority service, where offered | £1,000 |
GOV.UK says that outside the UK, priority usually gives a decision within 30 working days for family and settlement applications, and that the extra fee is not usually refunded if the decision takes longer. Without priority, the ADR page says a decision from outside the UK usually takes up to 12 weeks.
The GOV.UK ADR page does not state an Immigration Health Surcharge for this route; check what the online application asks for when you apply.
Who can apply, and who can sponsor
GOV.UK says the applicant must be 18 or over and need long-term care from a parent, grandchild, brother, sister, son or daughter who lives permanently in the UK, because they need help with everyday personal and household tasks due to illness, disability or age. They can only apply from outside the UK, unless extending a stay already granted on this route.
The UK relative must be one of the following:
- A British or Irish citizen.
- Settled in the UK, for example with indefinite leave to remain or settled status.
- An EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein citizen with pre-settled status who started living in the UK before 1 January 2021.
- Someone with refugee leave or humanitarian protection.
The high threshold: the care test
The part of the route that most applications turn on is the care test. GOV.UK says the care the applicant needs must be unavailable or unaffordable in the country where they live. In practice that means showing, with evidence, that:
- Your parent needs help with everyday personal and household tasks because of age, illness or disability, usually with detailed medical reports.
- That care cannot reasonably be provided in Nigeria, for example because suitable carers or facilities are not available where they live, or
- It is not affordable, even with the money the family could send.
Because families abroad often already pay for care at home, the Home Office may ask why that arrangement cannot continue. Think about that question before you apply. Many families take specialist immigration advice at this stage; this article is information, not advice.
The sponsor's money: no public funds
GOV.UK says the UK relative must be able to support the applicant without relying on public funds, and the caseworker looks at the relative's income, housing costs and any care costs. It also says the relative must be able to accommodate and care for the applicant for the whole of the relative's permitted stay, or for five years if the relative is British or settled. No fixed income threshold is published on the ADR page.
The Home Office public funds guidance explains that indefinite leave on this route is usually given subject to a maintenance undertaking, with no recourse to public funds for five years. In other words, for that period the sponsor carries the cost of the parent's living expenses. See what no recourse to public funds means.
A worked cost example
Example only. A daughter applies to bring both parents. The application fees are the published figures; the other lines are invented to show the arithmetic.
| Line | Example cost |
|---|---|
| ADR fees, 2 × £3,635 | £7,270 |
| Medical reports and translations (example) | £600 |
| Travel to the visa centre in Nigeria (example) | £100 |
| Flights to the UK, 2 × £700 (example) | £1,400 |
| Total before living costs | £9,370 |
£7,270 + £600 + £100 + £1,400 = £9,370. Add priority, if chosen, at £500 per applicant. The larger cost is the years of living expenses that follow, with no access to public funds during the undertaking period.
Is a visit visa a better first step?
If your parent can still travel and live mostly independently, a visit visa is far cheaper and may suit you better for now; see bringing parents to visit. If they stay in Nigeria, paid care at home is another option; see paying a carer for a parent in Nigeria.
Where Pryme fits
While an application is being prepared, care at home in Nigeria usually continues. A Pryme Personal Account lets you hold pounds and send naira for your parent's carer and bills each month; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
How much is the Adult Dependent Relative visa fee in 2026?
The Home Office fees table from 8 October 2026 lists £3,635 per applicant from outside the UK. Check the current table on GOV.UK before you apply.
Can my mother apply for the ADR visa from inside the UK on a visit visa?
GOV.UK says you can only apply from outside the UK, unless you are extending a stay already granted on this route.
Is there a minimum income for sponsoring a parent?
The GOV.UK ADR page sets no fixed figure. The caseworker considers your income, housing and care costs to decide whether you can support your parent without public funds.
How long does an ADR decision take?
GOV.UK says usually up to 12 weeks from outside the UK. Priority, where offered, costs £500 and usually gives a decision within 30 working days for settlement applications.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Family visas, apply as an adult coming to be cared for by a relative (updated 31 Oct 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application (applying from outside the UK) · accessed Oct 2026
- Home Office: Public funds caseworker guidance (9 Apr 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
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